The Swiss authorities confirmed to the Prosecutor’s office of Montenegro that the wife of former President Svetozar Marovic kept millions in the account of HSBC in Switzerland. The former head of state denied that his family had an account in the Swiss Bank.
In 2015, according to the results of the organized crime and corruption reporting project OCCRP, it was found that Georgina Marovic, the wife of the former President of Serbia and Montenegro, Svetozar Marovic, kept 3.8 million US dollars deposited in the Swiss Bank HSBC in 2006-2007.. Her husband and son were authorized to make deals. The funds were to be presented in the declared assets of the couple Marovic, but were not specified.
However, according to OCCRP, two years after the organization’s investigation, the Swiss authorities confirmed the existence of the account and the amount of money on it in 2006-2007.
Georgina Marovic is one of the 100 thousand clients of the Swiss HSBC Private Bank, whose data were secretly transmitted through the Le Monde newspaper to The international consortium of investigative journalists. Information received by this organization shared them with the OCCRP and other media. The information allowed us to lift the thick veil of secrecy that surrounds the Swiss banking system. So, it turned out that among the depositors of HSBC Private Bank there are representatives of Royal families, politicians, public figures, celebrities and large businessmen from more than 200 countries.
In 2015, Marovic was also questioned about another corruption case. He promised to sue the journalists who had filed claims against the account, and promised to give “his enemies” any money they could find in any Bank, “so they could Finance their activities against me and my friends.”
Six months later, Marovic and his son were sent to prison during an investigation into another corruption case. Marovic was suspected of leading an organized criminal group that stole tens of millions of euros from the municipality of Budva.
Svetozar Marovic served as President of the Union state of Serbia and Montenegro from its formation in 2003 until its collapse in 2006. In September 2016, Marovic was sentenced to 3 years and 9 months in prison in Montenegro for abuse of office and corruption. Marovic pleaded guilty. In addition, Marovic is obliged to pay the state 1.1 million euros of damage and make 100 thousand to charity. The execution of the sentence was postponed due to the health of the convicted person. In may 2017, the national Bureau of Interpol of Montenegro issued a warrant for the arrest of Marovic to take him to the place of serving his sentence. The family is currently in Belgrade and remains inaccessible to the Montenegrin authorities.
